AI in healthcare is being decided right now. Lead, or follow.
This is where you choose.
2nd AI Health Summit
The second annual AI in health summit will build on last year's inaugural event, focusing on how uptake of the technology has advanced across the health system and the future opportunities and risks that will need to be managed.
WHEN:
9 November 2026
WHERE:
The Establishment Ballroom,
George Street, Sydney
Post-Budget Summit
The half-day summit will discuss the implications of the Labor federal government's first Budget and the progress of other policy initiatives, including the National Medicines Policy and health technology assessment reviews.
About The Event
The second annual AI in Health Summit aims to build on the success of last year's inaugural event.
This year's focus will include:
-
Advancements in the uptake of AI technology by across the industry and broader health system
-
Future opportunities presented by AI
-
Risks associated with AI implementation that need to be managed
Key Themes:
-
Technological advancements
-
Opportunities for better outcomes
-
Risk management strategies
Participants can expect in-depth discussions and insights into how AI is shaping the future of healthcare.
120+
7
PARTICIPANTS
SESSIONS
Sessions & Speakers
9:05 am - The Dispatch AI Index: How ready is Life Sciences - really?
Paul Cross
Founder, Managing Director and Publisher of Daily Dispatch
ABOUT: Paul is Founder, Managing Director and Publisher of Daily Dispatch, home to BioPharmaDispatch and BiotechDispatch, two of Australia's leading independent platforms on health and life sciences policy. A former ministerial adviser to two federal Health Ministers, he went on to hold senior pharmaceutical industry roles in Australia and the US, giving him a rare vantage point across health policy, trade and commercial strategy. He holds a Bachelor of Laws and a Master of Arts, and is known for sharp commentary on HTA, pharmaceutical pricing and the politics of health reform.
9:30 am - PANEL SESSION: New world of AI-powered advocacy
- facilitated by Paul Cross
Sally Mackenzie
Founder and Managing Director of Delta Advisory and co-founder of Hansa AI
Sally has worked across the private and public sectors in Australia and Asia-Pacific, including roles as Government Relations Executive at Australia Post and GR Principal at Telstra, before founding Delta Advisory. She is also co-founder of Hansa AI, a political intelligence platform that helps government relations professionals track issues and stakeholders, and drafts the briefs and submissions that follow. A former diplomat with postings in Indonesia and Solomon Islands, she has advised the Thai, Philippine and Mongolian governments, and serves as a non-executive director of Regional Australia Bank and President of the Australian Professional Government Relations Association.
Danielle Ozolins
Founder, Patient Influence Network
Danielle brings a rare perspective across healthcare, technology and lived patient experience, having moved from a career in healthcare into senior marketing and technology leadership. A pancreatic cancer diagnosis in 2024 gave her a first-hand view of how hard the health system can be to navigate, from treatment decisions to influencing change as a patient. As Founder of Patient Influence Network, she works to strengthen how healthcare listens to and involves patients in decisions that affect them, exploring how AI and emerging technology can amplify patient voice without replacing it.
11:00 am - Will AI industrialise care, or re-humanise it?
Aurelia Cohn
Group Digital and AI Transformation Lead, The Ward Marketing Group
Aurelia's argument is uncomfortable: the real risk of AI isn't that it replaces us, it's that we use it to make a broken system produce more, faster, when it could be doing something genuinely useful.
Expect a case for shifting from efficiency to expansion, and from tech-first to people-first.
11:45 am - The genesis of the Patient Input Buddy, and what it means for decision-making
Ed Hollywood
General Manager and Head of Human Pharmaceuticals ANZ, Boehringer Ingelheim
Boehringer Ingelheim built Patient Input Buddy with the Patient Voice Initiative, Lung Foundation Australia, Scleroderma Australia and Rare Cancers Australia, to bring patient input directly into medicine evaluations.
Ed will unpack what it's already changing, and what it says about where health technology assessment is headed.
1.30 pm - PANEL SESSION: The Year AI Stopped Being Optional - One year on - facilitated by Paul Cross
Last year at this Summit, Sanofi's leaders called AI the industry's "industrial revolution, or bigger" and said it had stopped being a pilot and become the operating system for how work gets done. Leaders could no longer delegate it. They had to show up, set the standard and own the outcomes.
One year on, the team from Sasnofi return to say what held up, what had to be rethought, and where regulation and reputation risk now sit. If you want to know what "AI as an expectation" looks like after twelve months, this is the session.
Liz Selby
Country Lead and Head of Pharma ANZ - Sanofi
Country Lead and Head of Pharma for Sanofi Australia and New Zealand, appointed permanently in November 2024 after a decade-plus at Sanofi, most recently as General Manager of Specialty Care. A former neonatal intensive care nurse with more than 25 years in healthcare, she now runs the combined pharma unit spanning immunology, diabetes, rare disease and rare blood disorders.
Luke Cornish
Head of Corporate Affairs - Sanofi
Head of Corporate Affairs at Sanofi in Sydney since October 2024. He previously spent nearly five years at MSD and Organon in access and external affairs roles, including Head of Public Affairs at MSD Australia and New Zealand.
Samantha Howell
Country Regulatory Head - Sanofi
Sanofi's Country Regulatory Head for Australia and New Zealand since July 2025, after more than 13 years in regulatory affairs at the company. She rose from Regulatory Affairs Assistant in 2013 to Vaccines Regulatory Lead for Australia, New Zealand and South Korea.
2.15 pm - How we plan to integrate AI - Medicines Australia
Jodie Wilson
Director of Policy and External Engagement - Medicines Australia
Jodie Wilson is a senior pharmaceutical executive with expertise in health economics, medicines access, pricing and negotiation across Australian and international markets. Ahe combines strategic insight with a PhD in pharmacology and senior leadership experience at AbbVie spanning immunology and oncology.
3.30 pm - CLOSING CONVERSATION: AI won't wait for your perfect strategy: the catch-22 facing our industry - with Paul Cross and Karen Hood
Karen Hood
BioPharma and Life Sciences Executive
Karen is a biopharma executive who combines strategic insight, deep pharmaceutical industry experience and knowledge of AI’s applications in healthcare. Her leadership experience includes serving as Managing Director and Country Lead for Sanofi Australia and New Zealand and heading commercial operations across the Japan–Pacific region. She brings a commercially grounded perspective to how AI can support healthcare innovation, strengthen organisational capability and improve patient outcomes
Sponsorship Opportunities
We have a number of sponsorship packages available. Download the Sponsorship Prospectus HERE.
To discuss any sponsorship opportunities please contact Teva Smith on teva@dailydispatch.com.au
Program
8.00 am - Registration and networking
9.00 am - Welcome and opening
9.05 am - THE DISPATCH AI INDEX: How ready is Life Sciences, really? - Paul Cross
9.45 am - PANEL, facilitated by Paul Cross: The new world of AI-powered advocacy
Paul Cross, Founder, Managing Director and Publisher, Daily Dispatch
Sally Mackenzie, Founder and Managing Director, Delta Advisory; Co-founder, Hansa AI
Danielle Ozolins, Founder, Patient Influence Network
10.30 am - Morning tea
11.00 am - Will AI industrialise care, or re-humanise it?
Aurelia Cohn, Group Digital and AI Transformation Lead, The Ward Marketing Group
11.45 am - The genesis of the Patient Input Buddy, and what it means for decision-making
Ed Hollywood, General Manager and Head of Human Pharmaceuticals ANZ, Boehringer Ingelheim
12.30 pm - Lunch
1.30 pm - PANEL, facilitated by Paul Cross: The year AI stopped being optional: one year on
Liz Selby, Country Lead and Head of Pharma ANZ, Sanofi
Luke Cornish, Head of Corporate Affairs, Sanofi
Samantha Howell, Country Regulatory Head, Sanofi
2.15 pm - How we plan to integrate AI
Jodie Wilson, Medicines Australia
3.00 pm - Afternoon tea
3.30 pm - CLOSING CONVERSATION: AI won’t wait for your perfect strategy: the catch-22 facing our industry
Karen Hood, BioPharma and Life Sciences Executive
Paul Cross
4.30 pm to 6.00 pm - Networking reception
* Program subject to change.
Register
Register for the 2nd
AI Health Summit